Hi Michelle,Keeping tenants' security deposits in a separate savings account at an online bank is a common practice and is generally recommended.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Are there tools (i.e RentRedi) that you recommend using for LTR tenant screening, rent collection, background checks, etc?

My recommendation would be to take business classes at a technical college while working/ interning for a company in a field you are interested in.

Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Going live as a STR in 2 weeks Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

.- I recommend avoiding condos. 

My recommendation is before chasing all these real estate deals is to go earn and save some money so when a good deal comes a long you can take action and move on it. 

Also, can anyone recommend a reliable company for this?

I have never pulled a permit for a water heater swap, know no one that has ever pulled a permit for a water heater swap, ever seen or heard about one getting red tagged for no permit, and have never had a plumber recommend getting a permit.